WO2017141155A1

WO2017141155A1 - Inspection and monitoring system for zootechnical livestock farming plants and particularly for poultry farms

Info

Publication number: WO2017141155A1
Application number: PCT/IB2017/050806
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franco GHIRO
Original assignee: Officine Facco & C. S.P.A.
Priority date: 2016-02-15
Filing date: 2017-02-14
Publication date: 2017-08-24
Also published as: ITUB20160741A1

Abstract

An inspection and monitoring system (10) for zootechnical livestock farming plants and particularly for poultry farms, that comprises: - conveyor means (11) designed for movement along a path proximate to an equipped livestock farming space, and, mounted on the conveyor means (11): - at least one video camera (17) directed toward the equipped livestock farming space, - a series of probes (24, 25, 26, 27, 28) for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space, - electronic means (29) for managing the video camera, microphone and probes, - data transmission means (30) interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data.

Description

INSPECTION AND MONITORING SYSTEM FOR ZOOTECHNICAL LIVESTOCK FARMING PLANTS AND PARTICULARLY FOR POULTRY FARMS

The present invention relates to an inspection and monitoring system for zootechnical livestock farming plants and particularly for poultry farms.

Modern poultry farm plants are constituted by cells where the animals are accommodated; such cells are arranged on several levels and in multiple rows.

The plants are increasingly bigger, therefore most of the operations necessary to ensure the life of the animals and to carry out the livestock- raising function proper are done automatically.

The activities of inspection, checking, cleaning and maintenance on the other hand are carried out by trained personnel who spend much of the day verifying the correct operation of the plant, retrieving dead chickens and other, similar operations.

In particular, the tasks to be carried out daily and which require periodical monitoring carried out in person by specially-trained operators can be:

- checking for the presence of dead animals and removal,

- checking the state of health of the animals,

- checking for the existence of any leaks in the water system,

- checking for the existence of any leaks in the feed system, and regulation of the latter,

- checking for the presence of stationary eggs in the cages, which are potentially hazardous if sold as fresh,

- checking for buildups of eggs on the conveyor belts, or clogging of the belts caused by such a buildup of eggs,

- checking for the presence of objects foreign to the activity of livestock farming and/or excrement inside the cells and/or the feeding system, - checking the general environmental conditions over the entire area of the plant,

- correcting the configuration parameters of the ventilation system, of the feeding system and of the lighting system, according to the environmental conditions found,

- checking the maintenance status and the operating conditions of the plant (damaged and/or worn mechanical parts that require maintenance and/or substitution).

The aim of the present invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system for zootechnical livestock farming plants and in particular for poultry farms, which makes it possible to reduce the inspection times of modern poultry farm plants and to increase the accuracy of inspections, thus making modern livestock farming plants more efficient and easier to run.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a system that facilitates the continuous inspection of the entire plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system that makes it possible to reduce the operating personnel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection system that allows continuous monitoring of the behavior of the animals in a livestock farming plant in order to be able to analyze and understand how to improve the working setup of that plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system that takes the environmental factors of the plant into consideration.

Another object of the invention is to provide a monitoring and inspection system that is capable of detecting the degradation of the components of a livestock farming plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system that is capable of identifying the position of any dead animals or of any localized anomalies in a livestock farming plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system that is capable of collecting data that enables analysis of the behavior of the animals in the plant with a view to predicting their behaviors and/or illnesses.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inspection and monitoring system that makes it possible to perform corrections to the operation of ventilation/climate control devices of the plant.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an inspection and monitoring system for zootechnical livestock farming plants and in particular for poultry farms, characterized in that it comprises:

- conveyor means designed for movement along a path proximate to an equipped livestock farming space,

and, mounted on said conveyor means:

- at least one video camera directed toward said equipped livestock farming space,

- a series of probes for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space,

- electronic means for managing said video camera, microphone and probes,

- data transmission means interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of two preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the system according to the invention, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a system according to the invention in a first embodiment thereof;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a system according to the invention in a second embodiment;

Figure 3 is a diagram of the communication means of the system according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, an inspection and monitoring system for zootechnical livestock farming plants and in particular for poultry farms, according to the invention, is generally designated, in the first embodiment thereof, with the reference numeral 10.

The system 10 comprises first of all conveyor means 11 designed for movement along a path proximate to an equipped livestock farming space.

Such equipped livestock farming space is constituted, in the present embodiment of the invention, by a battery of cages 13 for poultry farming, which comprises a plurality of superimposed rows of cages, indicated for the purposes of example with the reference numerals 14, 14a, 14b, each row of cages 14, 14a, 14b being served laterally by a feed supply channel 15 and by an egg collection belt 16, which should be understood to be conventional per se.

The system 10 comprises, mounted on the conveyor means 11 :

- a video camera 17, but there can be more than one, directed toward the equipped livestock farming space,

- a series of probes 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, better described hereinbelow, for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space, i.e. at the battery 13,

- electronic means 29 for managing the video camera, microphone and probes,

- data transmission means 30 interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data.

The system 10 also comprises, advantageously, a microphone 18 for detecting environmental noises.

In the first embodiment described, the conveyor means 11 are constituted by a sliding frame 19, which supports a feed-carrying hopper 20 for each row of cages 14, 14a, 14b, which is constrained to translate on the framework 21 of the battery of cages 13 and is moved by corresponding movement means, such means being understood as being of conventional type, for example a belt, or a rack and pinion, actuated by electric motor.

In a variation of embodiment, the conveyor means are constituted by a similar vehicle/trolley installed on a track or rail, external and independent with respect to the framework of the battery of cages 13.

In an additional variation of embodiment, the conveyor means are constituted by a self-driving or self-navigating vehicle, such as a drone or the like.

In the present, non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the invention, the video camera 17, directed toward the equipped livestock farming space, the microphone 18 for detecting environmental noises, the series of probes for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space, the electronic means for managing the video camera, microphone and probes, and the data transmission means, are installed directly on the sliding frame

19 or on at least one of the feed-carrying hoppers 20.

For example the video camera 17 and microphone 18 are mounted on the sliding frame 19, while the probes 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 are supported by a box-like body 32 for containing the electronic means 29 for managing the video camera, microphone and probes, and the data transmission means 30; there are power supply batteries 31 in the box-like body.

Obviously it should be understood that such probes can also be installed in other positions of the sliding frame, so as to read as accurately as possible the environmental values of interest for the inspection and monitoring of the poultry farm plant.

Recharging the batteries 31 installed in the box-like body 32, or in the electrical switchboard, occurs when the sliding frame 19 is in an inactive position, by way of one of the following systems:

- wireless recharging by way of an inductive system, - recharging by way of sliding contacts.

The system, once the cycle of inspection of the plant is finished, returns to the inactive position.

At the end of an inspection, the system 10 proceeds to transmit the data collected to a server 33 as described in more detail below.

The server 33 backs up and processes the data collected so as to enable an operator to carry out the necessary analysis.

The video camera 17 has vision and orientation capabilities such that it can see at least a significant portion of all of the rows of cages 14, 14a and 14b in its transit along the battery of cages 13.

In this manner, with a single video camera 17 moved in translation along the entire length of the battery 13, all the important spaces of all the rows and of all the cages of each row are scanned.

The ends of the battery 13 are also scanned, so as to also monitor the status of the mechanical components of any conveyor belts installed for the battery of cages 13.

The series of probes for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space comprises:

- a first probe 24 for temperature,

- a second probe 25 for reading humidity,

- a third probe 26 for reading the level of carbon dioxide,

- a fourth probe 27 for reading the level of ammonia,

- an anemometer 28.

The electronic means 29 comprise an electronic board with microprocessor and memory, conventional per se.

The data transmission means 30 comprise, for example, a radio communication device, of the wireless LAN type or ZigBee type or the like.

The data transmission means 30 are interconnected with a server 33 for transmitting the collected data, processing those data and making them available on a website to personal internet browsing devices, for example a smartphone or a tablet computer 34, a personal computer 35 or a laptop 36.

The data transmission can also occur by way of exchanging information while parked in the parking area of the feeding trolley by way of wireless and/or wired systems, for connecting the various probes to a data transmission apparatus that has the task of transmitting the data to a server.

Figure 2 shows for the purposes of example a second embodiment of a system according to the invention, designated therein with the reference numeral 110.

In the system 110, the conveyor means 111 are constituted by a ground-traveling vehicle, with wheels or crawler tracks 112, self-driving or remote-controlled.

Such ground-traveling vehicle is set to travel a path parallel to the side of the farm space, for example a poultry farming battery 113.

The video camera 117 and microphone 118 are mounted on the vehicle, and are installed on an upright member 119 which in turn is carried by the vehicle, while the probes 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 are supported, as in the first embodiment of the system 10, by a box-like body 32 for containing the electronic means 29 for managing the video camera, microphone and probes, and the data transmission means 30; there are power supply batteries 31 in the box-like body.

In another embodiment, not shown for the sake of simplicity, the conveyor means designed for movement along at least one side of an equipped livestock farming space are constituted by a drone or other aircraft, controlled remotely or automatically following a preset flight path.

The system according to the invention entails that the various recording devices, i.e. the video camera, microphone, and probes, make recordings while moving along the livestock farming plant so as to provide environmental readings and significant images for the entire area covered by the plant. Such recordings are used for providing, among other things, three- dimensional graphics capable of representing the environmental conditions of the entire plant.

The system is provided with assisted inspection software, with which it is possible for an operator to view the various areas of interest captured by the video cameras in a grid view.

Such representation displays all the points of interest in a single screen, and in such manner it is possible to carry out the inspection of the entire system by simultaneously observing multiple areas and thus reducing the times and effort associated with inspection.

The conveyor means are capable of carrying the video camera, microphone and probes along a predefined path and/or at predefined observation positions.

Independently of the technology adopted, the conveyor means are capable of restoring their coordinates with respect to the plant to at least one of the predefined reading positions for the recording devices.

The system according to the invention is such that it can be installed on different types of zootechnical livestock farms including, but not limited to:

- battery poultry farms,

- aviary poultry farms,

- barn poultry farms,

- pig farms.

In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

In fact with the invention a system has been devised that is capable of reducing the inspection times of modern poultry farm plants and of increasing the accuracy of those inspections, thus making modern systems more efficient and easier to run.

In particular, a system has been devised that is capable of: - continuously record, via video and audio signal, the running of the livestock farming plant in its main constitutive elements, such as the places for transferring fodder to the animals, for example the fodder channels 15, the places for transferring water to the animals, the places for transferring and conveying the eggs laid by the animals, for example the side conveyor belts 16, the places for transferring the feces deposited by the animals, and also the critical static and dynamic elements in order to determine the need to carry out maintenance;

- continuously record, over time and in space in three dimensions, environmental signals originating from the probes, the latter being adapted to read temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and air speed.

With the invention a system has been devised therefore that is capable not only of reducing inspection times of livestock farming plants, but also of enabling more accurate inspections in order to improve the performance and especially the safety of those plants.

The use of means such as video cameras enables the inspection of the entire livestock farming plant from one fixed station for an operator, with the use of software that focuses the attention of the operator on the areas of interest for the inspection and which offers the possibility to play back the recording of multiple video cameras and/or points of interest on the same screen at speeds other than "real time" (playback sped up/slowed down).

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of comparing the behavior of the animals in the plant by way of the simultaneous display of recordings made at different times and in different places (useful for understanding what working configuration of the plant is best for livestock farming and for comparing the behavior and/or the performance of different animals and/or in different environments).

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of recording the environmental factors over the whole extent of the plant, using a low number of moving sensors, instead of a high number of sensors installed at numerous fixed positions of the plant.

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of verifying the maintenance status of the plant, highlighting the degradation of the components by way of recording a still image per day/week/month of such components. In this manner it is possible to see, accelerated over time, the degradation of the components, thus making it possible to plan maintenance operations more precisely.

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of identifying the position of any dead animals or of any anomalies in the system, thus enabling the operator to go only where he/she is needed in the plant without having to carry out a full inspection of the shed.

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of acoustically recording the behavior of the animals with a view to predicting their behaviors and/or illnesses.

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of making corrections to the ventilation/climate control system of the plant, as a function of the environmental readings. Such corrections serve to:

- improve the yield of the animals,

- reduce energy consumption,

- increase the quality of life of the animals,

- reduce the mortality of the animals.

With the invention a system has also been devised that is capable of systematically tracking events inside the plant, with the consequent possibility to associate the events with environmental factors such as mortality or productivity.

As a consequence, with the invention an inspection and monitoring system has been devised that makes it possible to reduce the operating personnel.

The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the components and the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian patent application no. 102016000014959 (UB2016A000741), the priority of which is claimed in the present application, are incorporated as a reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. An inspection and monitoring system (10) for zootechnical livestock farming plants and particularly for poultry farms, characterized in that it comprises:

- conveyor means (11) designed for movement along at least one side of an equipped livestock farming space,

and, mounted on said conveyor means (11):

- at least one video camera (17) directed toward said equipped livestock farming space,

- a series of probes (24, 25, 26, 27, 28) for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space,

- electronic means (29) for managing said video camera, microphone and probes,

- data transmission means (30) interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said equipped livestock farming space is constituted by a battery of cages (13) for poultry farming, which comprises a plurality of superimposed rows of cages (14, 14a, 14b), each row of cages (14, 14a, 14b) being served laterally by a feed supply channel (15) and by an egg collection belt (16).

3. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a microphone (18) for detecting environmental noises.

4. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor means (11) are constituted by a sliding frame (19), which supports a feed-carrying hopper (20) for each row of cages (14, 14a, 14b) which is constrained to translate on the framework (21) of the battery of cages (13) and is moved by corresponding movement means.

5. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one video camera (17) directed toward said equipped livestock farming space, said microphone (18) for detecting environmental noises, said series of probes for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space, said electronic means for managing said camera, microphone and probes, and said data transmission means interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data are installed directly on said sliding frame (19) or on at least one of said feed- carrying hoppers (20).

6. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said series of probes for reading climate data at the equipped livestock farming space comprises:

- a first probe for temperature (24),

- a second probe for reading humidity (25),

- a third probe for reading the level of carbon dioxide (26),

- a fourth probe for reading the level of ammonia (27),

- an anemometer (28).

7. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic means (29) comprise an electronic board with microprocessor and memory.

8. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said data transmission means (30) comprise a radio communication device, of the wireless LAN type or ZigBee type or the like.

9. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said data transmission means (30) are interconnected with a device for collecting, storing and processing data that comprises a server (33) for transmitting the collected data, processing those data and making them available on a website to personal internet browsing devices, for example a smartphone or a tablet computer (34), a personal computer (35) or a laptop (36).

10. The system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said conveyor means (111) are constituted by a ground- traveling vehicle, with wheels or crawler tracks, self-driving or remote- controlled.